


Preening

by SinScrivener



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angels, Demons, Heaven, Hell, M/M, Other, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 14:50:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20584307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinScrivener/pseuds/SinScrivener
Summary: “Contrary to popular belief, the wings of demons are the same as the wings of angels, although they’re often better groomed.“ -Good Omens novelHeaven and Hell must at times, meet up on accounts of one thing or other-One of these is whilst some of Hell's Demons are preeningWhat are these DISGUSTING BEASTS doing, caring for a part of their body!? For..Shame?





	Preening

This was a quick Below conference, he'd be in and out in under thirty minutes, Demons were quick and things got settled just so.

As the Archangel Gabriel fixed his suit and began towards the head Demons office, he couldn't help but notice some of its member's not… Not being very… Deeemon-like-

He stopped and stared at two Demons as they spoke, their gross creatures upon their heads just napping away as their Masters spoke. One was a dark skinned Demon with a chameleon upon his head, every now and then the lizard would change colors as the Master below it spoke, the Demons eyes too changed, but these colors seemed at ease and pleasant whilst the other, a sickly white skinned Demon with a toad upon his head seemed to be...Grooming the darker one's...Feathers?

Gabriel held in a laugh, Demons had no wings, they stripped when they Fell!

No, these weren't 'wings' nor really 'feathers' just long strands of sinew, scarred skin, and patches of feathers in places!

Though, he couldn't help but envy their none being Wings though...For so little to work with NO LITTLE PIECE was ignored!

As the white skinned Demon finished, the dark skinned one smiled a sharkish smile and set to work fixing up the others next.

"Admiring our zzzide, Angel?" A buzzing sound like a thousand flies had lit at once sounded behind him and he jumped, ready to...attack if the face he made betrayed anything other than terror and then, he looked down.

"Beelzebub! Just the… The ummm-" He tried only to be resounded with flies in answer as they turned to walk him along, "Zzzzzir to you, archangel, and PRINCE thank you!"

"Chop chop, ain't have all day!" The smaller, dirtier being snapped as Gabriel fought through the flies and hurried along as the two Demons he'd been watching saw him, pointed, and laughed at his misfortune.

With the door to the strange Underground closed behind him, Gabriel sighed and settled into a chair only to yelp as things bit his rear and he backed off.

"Hmhm, I don't recall offering you a zzeat, Archangel!" And smirked, arms crossed as the taller, more built man watched in horror as flies the size of bees flew towards their Master and formed into a large fly based cap upon their matted black locked head.

"Now can I?" Gabriel snipped only to growl as Beelzebub tutted, heeled shoes clicking as they walked towards their own chair behind the desk, "I don't know really, CAN you?"

"I fucking hate you-" Gabriel snarled only to be repaied with a smart looking smile thrown his way and their hands holding up the smug faces' head as they returned, "Feelingzzz returned~"

"Now, onto buzzzin-businesses-" They began, stopped then tried again, more even and calm.

"Finally, Almighty give me strength!" Gabriel retorted and fished into his jacket for the papers and spoke whilst doing so, "I didn't peg you...Demons for actually CARING for anything let alone wings you don't even have!"

The unholy sound Beelzebub made as they sprang upwards and up onto their desk made the archangel fall backwards.

Tattered wings flared, eyes black as souls, flies spinning away as their Master snapped out harshly, "Zzzzzzilence you twat! You zzzpeak out zzzo and know nothing of your wordzzzz!" They jumped toward the Angel and snarled, wing tatters flapping best they could to seem big and scary like they felt inside, "How DARE you, bazzztard! What would you know of CAAARE? You have beautiful thingzzz have you not, alwayzzzz at your fingertipzzzz? We have nigh a zzzpeck of zzzuch finery yet zzzztill try to keep what we have left of before azzzzz clean and neat azzzz the day we got them!"

Gabriel shifted backwards and hit the door, hand out before him, not to magically fix this mistake but-

"I'm sorry.. I mean it…" He took a few even breathes and stared the enraged Demon Prince in the eyes, watching their darkness of hatred easy as he spoke, "I.. I just.. I spoke out of line… I'm not used to being told my place until I'm here and still I forget… Your right to be upset.. I do forget how nice we have it Up there… I do.. I come here and am constantly reminded…"

The tattered wings the color of Dusk folded back some, the flies returned but at a distance, a halo around their head now instead of a cap.

"I.. I saw those two.. And.. We just don't.. Ya.."

"You take no time to be with your kind izzz what your zzaying!" Beelzebub said flaty and the statement shook Gabriel.

"Excuse me? We're Angels… We miracle things for Her creatures and sometimes do work Upstairs, what's going on here, there, what is to be over there, what about here?"

"Yet you've found no time for yourzzzelvezz," The Prince of Hell's head tilted to one side, arms crossed. "Zzztrange, what zztripping you of whom you once were changezzz your view on matterzzz."

Gabriel looked away and shrugged, "We don't show our wings anyway, why bother?"

"Let me zzzee your wingzzz, Archangel!" Beelzebub ordered and swiftly, unlike himself, his wings flashed out, big, powerful, the purest white, the best wings for Her top Angel!

"Ewww…." Caught him off guard, his mind on how nice his wings were to him that when he looked to Beelzebub and saw their actual disgusted face, he lowered them, kind of like a child who'd been caught doing something he'd been told not to do.

It felt...WEIRD.. WHY did their disgust bother him so much? He bet Aziraphale's wings weren't as nice!

Did he just compare his wings with THAT Angel because of a Demons DISGUSTED FACE!?

"ZZtrange, izzn't it, Angel Gabriel?" Beelzebub asked and he jerked awake.

"You looked conflicted zzzo I put the puzzzzle together myzzelf, clever right?" Beelzebub mused in that weird way of theirs and then, it hit him.

"Excuse me-" "Your ezcuzzed~" Gabriel huffed and turned his head best he could to glare at the Demon Prince who now sat calmly, grooming his beautiful white wings.

"Stop touching my wings, that's weird, your weird-" He spat but mentally felt a small calm coming over him as they worked.

"Yezz?" Beelzebub asked slowly as the struggle of release never came to power and gave the sound of a chuckle as Gabriel huffed like a child in time out, "I'll let you alone this ONCE, Demon.. This ONCE!"

"Like you'll tend to your wingzz or anotherzz, I'll eat my cap when that happenzz!!!" They laughed out finally, a rather, still Angel like laugh…

Gabriel sat there as the other worked, pulling knots he didn't even KNOW wings could get and brushed the downy feathers with a fine silver brush.

"We haven't much left of ourzzelvezz zzince we Fell, zzzo-" Beelzebub said as Gabriel flapped his now, even to himself, even MORE outstanding wings before a mirror in the back of Beelzebub's office.

They shown even BETTER, a much HEALTHIER, CLEANER white!

"It'zzz called time and care, Archangel Gabriel!" Beelzebub said calmly at his amazed face. "We dedicate Zzzzzundayzzzz after Tempting to Grooming our Featherzz, a group effort, one on one, talk about anything and everything, botherzz, ideazzz, mizzing thingzzz, remembered thingzzz!"

He looked back as they put the silver brush away and asked stupidly, "Do I do you back?" The look shot between the two made Gabriel flare his wings and snort, "I MEANT do I tend to your wings next…" He grumbled under his breath between, 'Like I'd do such a thing,' to 'Keep going dumbass, keeeep it going!'

"You'd tend to mine..?" They asked and gave such a strange, sad happy look his way, he couldn't explain it if he tried. From such a small force like Beelzebub, it seemed…Foreign?

"Is that not how it works…" Gabriel asked then hit speed dial and finished before the last words calculated within the others head, "I mean, if anything, you did such a great job on mine… It only seems fair I try to return such a kind gesture right?"

The others head tilted the other way then their eyes stared far away from either of them and he wondered if he'd broken the Demon for even asking when, "Well… You can't ruin zzzomething I haven't got now-" They turned slowly, almost sadly and lifted their tattered wings, "Can you… Archangel Gabriel?"

He looked away feeling that strange thing called 'hurt' and took the brush from Beelzebub's smaller hand and spoke gently, touching the torn duck colored wing to the right, "I… I apologize with all I have for my comment… We Angels can't speak lies and well.. Demon or not, you once were an Angel and knowing you've all got a way to be there for one another and not just working and whatever… Preening something that reminds you of what you once were even… Making it into a time to unwind and talk… I'm amazed and envious!"

"Maybe your not zzzuch a bazzztard afterall~" Beelzebub said calmly before him and knew he smiled since he settled down on his legs and began as if under a miracle, "Hey, did you know, humans are sooo easily fooled?"

"Reaaaaally, you don't zz-say!" Beelzebub snorted and shook their head as Gabriel spoke about buying 'pornography' and knew the Angel Aziraphale had played him for a sucker, a very easily played sucker~


End file.
